Review of Call of Juarez Bound in Blood
Summary of a New Video Game with a Western Theme
Aug 13, 2009
The sequel to Techland's 2007 western shooter, Call of Juarez (published by Ubisoft), was released on June 30, 2009. This second installment takes place several years earlier, and follows the story of three brothers, two of which are playable. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is available for PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3.
The Story of Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
As the first game tracked the adventures of Billy and his step-uncle Ray (who are enemies through the game) this new release follows a younger Ray McCall, his brother Thomas, and a third, unplayable brother, William, as they make their way from Civil War Georgia to Arkansas, and through Mexico, and parts of the American Southwest.
Ray and Thomas are playable characters that have different skills, and William exists mostly to assist the story. Although many levels give players the opportunity to choose which brother to control (in a first-person view), some require the gamer to use one brother or the other. In the game, Ray and Thomas find themselves in love with the same woman, who is the mistress of a powerful Mexican criminal as they are searching for lost Aztec gold with the assistance of an Apache man, and all of the while, they are constantly dealing with a deranged ex-Confederate colonel.
Single Player Gameplay
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood offers some of the most exciting and interactive western scenery yet seen in a video game. Most of the game is spent pursuing various objectives, although there are two notable instances of free world environments (one in Mexico, and one in Arizona), each one of which is a large map in which the gamer may roam free, and collect various bounties and rewards for lending the services of a gunman to minor characters.
There are several duels that must be completed in the game, most of which are toward the end of chapters, and these situations are about as close to the real (dueling) deal as has been seen in any western video game yet. Horses also make for hastier transportation in the Call of Juarez 2. Overall, the single player gameplay is very exciting in Bound in Blood, despite its being on the short side side (at about 5-6 hours in completion time), because of the game's phenomenal graphics and fast action.
Ray and Thomas McCall as Playable Characters
Ray and Thomas have minor differences, which affect gameplay, depending on which character the gamer is utilizing. Thomas is smaller, more agile, and stealthier, while Ray is bigger, stronger, and louder. Available weapons are slightly different for each character, and each brother has a different quick draw type as well. For Ray, he must find targets and set his sights on them before a timer expires, after which all of his marks are hit, and for Thomas, the computer automatically aims, and it is up to the gamer to cock the gun and fire.
Multiplayer Gameplay in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
There are several different scenarios of online play, as well as multiple maps to play while engaging in stereotypical western conflicts. A regular death match (shootout) is available, as is a team setting (where lawmen and outlaws fire at one another).
There is another mode where the lawmen and outlaws compete to fulfill their various objectives as well, and a mode where one man is "wanted," and remains so until he or she is killed, after which his or her assassin becomes the wanted man. There are up to 13 player classes, many of which must be unlocked by cash earned through bounties, and each class has different weapons, speed, and health. Cash is earned when one player kills a rival, and with each kill, each gamer's bounty goes up. When one player kills another in multiplayer, that gamer receives the victim's bounty.
Overall, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is an exciting, fast paced game with fast, intense multiplayer. The graphics and wild west scenery are phenomenal, although the single player game could have been a little longer.
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